Spanish-Speaking Attorneys

Tamara A. Pérez Cantalapiedra

Kent, WA

Tamara A. Pérez Cantalapiedra is an associate attorney exclusively practicing immigration law, handling family-based immigration, U-visas, T-visas, VAWAs, waiver applications, and removal defense. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she is fluent in Spanish and English, and has improved her French. She received her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2024 and is an active member of AILA.

Tatiana Froes

Phoenix, AZ

Tatiana Froes practices in the areas of Social Security Benefits and ERISA disability claims with additional expertise in consumer law, immigration law, bankruptcy, and collections. Tatiana is licensed as an attorney in Arizona, Portugal, and Brazil and has been practicing in the United States since 2004. Tatiana has a unique educational background, having grown up in Brazil before attending high school in the United States, and obtaining degrees from universities in Brazil and the US (LLM-Master of Laws in Transnational Business Practice). This diverse past helps Tatiana to be a strong advocate for clients from all walks of life. Tatiana is also a blogger at Realtactics4disabilityclaims.com and the author of the book “Real Tactics for Filing Your Disability Claim” (Available on Amazon)**. In her spare time, Tatiana enjoys flying as a private pilot and she is involved with parrot rescues. Tatiana is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Ryan Platt has multiple six figure settlements under his belt, speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently, and has proficiency in Hebrew and Italian. He has worked as counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, and got his start representing corporations and insurers. This gives Ryan valuable insight into opposing council’s thought process and counteroffers for Workers’ Compensation cases. It allows him to anticipate arguments and formulate counter points in order to reach a quicker and move favorable outcome for his clients. “I decided to go into workers’ compensation because it means I get to represent people instead of companies,” Ryan said. “That means a lot.” One of Ryan’s most enviable traits is his ability to empathize with his clients. Fighting for their justice invigorates him. He excels in litigation and does not shy away from taking a case to court if a promising settlement can’t be reached. Ryan is not afraid of hard work. In fact, he is an avowed perfectionist. “Everywhere I go, I have an expectation that my work will be as close to flawless as possible,” Ryan said. To relax and unwind after a workday Ryan enjoys exploring his neighborhood in Portage Park, traveling, reading, and playing with his two children.

Nicole Vellojin

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Nicole, who prefers to go by Nikki, is one of the dedicated legal assistants at Workman Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers. Nikki is a graduate of Florida International University with her Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. In addition to her administrative prowess, her commitment significantly contributes to the firm’s success in providing exceptional legal support to all of our clients. Apart from work, Nikki also enjoys going to the gym, trying new restaurants and simply just kicking back, relaxing and watching some Netflix! She is also fluent in both English and Spanish.

Maria Dudley became a partner at Rosado, Apat & Dudley in 2011. She holds a B.A. from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. Ms. Dudley is an active member of the New York State Bar and serves on the Executive Board of Advancing Local Leadership Opportunities for Women, Inc. (A.L.L.O.W.). Her practice encompasses No-Fault Medical Collections, Workers’ Compensation, Social Security Disability, and real estate transactions, drawing on her family's background in real estate.

Adam J. Russo

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Adam Russo, born in Connecticut and raised in the low country of South Carolina, attended the College of Charleston and completed his legal education at St. Thomas University and Florida State. He clerked for the Florida Supreme Court. He previously served as a DUI prosecutor for the 14th Judicial Circuit and as a private defense attorney. He is a member of the National College for DUI Defense.

Anthony F. Santacroce

Hartford, CT

Anthony is a graduate of Quinnipiac School of Law and has been an attorney for over 30 years. He started his career as a plaintiffs' personal injury attorney at Solomon and Stanton in Meriden representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters and trials. He then worked at the Law Offices of Dahlmayer, Labiner and Santacroce as in- house counsel for Home Insurance Company, representing personal and commercial clients as defendants in personal injury lawsuits. His final position before joining in-house counsel for Nationwide Insurance was as Managing Trial Counsel for General Accident Insurance. As Managing Trial Counsel, he was in charge of the Connecticut trial office. Besides his administrative duties as manager, he maintained a full caseload and continued to do trial work. In 1989 he joined Nationwide Insurance as a senior trial attorney, in order to concentrate on trial work. In his 30+ year career with Nationwide, he has tried over 100 jury trials for both personal and commercial clients. He has also negotiated settlements on behalf of thousands of Nationwide clients. He has tried cases involving auto and boating accidents, including fatalities; dram shop (liquor liability); accidental drownings and fire legal liability for both commercial and personal clients. Some of his commercial clients were among the largest companies in the U.S. In addition to his trial practice, he brought many cases to successful conclusion utilizing arbitration and mediation hearings. Lastly, Anthony has been appointed to and has served as a Special Master in Hartford Superior Court for the past 20+ years. In that role, he has rendered written decisions in hundreds of cases that Hartford Superior Court has assigned him to adjudicate. After retiring from Nationwide, Anthony wanted to return to where he began his legal career in representing plaintiffs in personal injury matters. He is currently of counsel at Polinsky Law Group,LLC. He is involved in all aspects of litigation, including negotiating settlements and bringing cases to successful resolution by mediation, arbitration and trial.

Antonette Payne is an Of Counsel attorney born in Ft. Wayne, IN. She holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Adult and Community Education from Ball State University, and a law degree from New York Law School. With over 15 years of experience, she is licensed in New York and Indiana, practicing in business, intellectual property, immigration, and social services disability law. She is proficient in English and Spanish. Antonette returned to Indiana in 2012 to raise her family and teaches legal studies and business law. She is actively involved in the community, serving on several boards including the Ft. Wayne Center for Nonviolence, Fort Wayne Mayor’s Opportunity Advisory Board, and Artlink in Ft. Wayne.

Ahmed Khalil, Esq. is the Founder and Managing Attorney at Khalil Law Group. Admitted to the California State Bar in June 2011, he gained experience defending individuals, employers, insurance companies, and third-party administrators. In 2015, he co-founded Distinct Law Group and later established Khalil Law Group, APC, dedicating his career to helping individuals and protecting their legal rights. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2010.

Fanny Medina was born in Canton, Georgia, and raised in Marietta. She graduated from Osborne High School in 2015 and began working in personal injury law in 2017. She has over eight years of experience as a pre-litigation paralegal, specializing in managing personal injury claims. She is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Peggy was born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and is the daughter of Vincent Bruner and Laurie Bruner. Like her older brothers Vince and Drew, she attended and graduated from Choctawhatchee High School. After high school, Peggy enrolled at Auburn University in the fall of 2011. During her time at Auburn, she double majored in Political Science and Spanish while also participating in many extracurriculars such as the Pi Sigma Lambda Honors Society and the Pre-Law Scholars Program. Peggy graduated from Auburn in May 2015, and the following August enrolled in the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law. Her passion for trial law began when she interned as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Judge Stone in Florida’s First Judicial Circuit, where she observed both civil and criminal trials. In the summer of 2017, she interned for the United State’s Attorney’s Office in Tampa, Florida, researching issues in pending cases and observing Federal criminal trials. During her last year of law school, Peggy worked as a Certified Legal Intern for the Gainesville State Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence Unit and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office in the Juvenile Division, gaining supervised trial experience. In the spring of 2018, Peggy’s note, A Case Against Bad Math, was published in the Journal of Technology Law & Policy, where she also served as an editor. Shortly after, she graduated from law school and joined the Florida Bar. Before joining the Bruner Firm in July 2020, she served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Peggy brings with her several years of trial experience, working on cases involving DUIs, traffic crashes, probation violations, juvenile delinquency matters, 3rd- and 2nd-degree felony cases, and more. In her spare time, Peggy enjoys traveling, running, cycling, and watching SEC football with her friends. She is also a member of the First United Methodist Church of Fort Walton Beach. Peggy is honored to have the opportunity to represent the great people of the Florida Panhandle alongside her family.

Oscar “Kav” S. Spivey III

Atlanta, GA

Oscar Smith “Kav” Spivey, III attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee where he became a member of the Gamma Sigma Phi Fraternity and obtained a B.A. in Spanish after a tenure studying abroad in Mexico. He continued on to Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia to obtain his Juris Doctorate where he was awarded Best Appellate Oral Argument during his second year of study. Over the course of his education, Kav also clerked for a reputable trial firm in Nashville, honing his skills within the fields of criminal defense, family law, and plaintiff’s personal injury. Born and raised in Middle Tennessee, Kav spent his formative years on his family farm, where he was ingrained with the importance of hard work, persistence, and dedication to one’s passions - these values first manifested themselves in the athletic realm, where Kav proved himself a formidable athlete in baseball, basketball, and competitive horseback riding. During his high school career, this same dedication played out on the court, where Kav scored over 1,000 points as a member of his varsity basketball team. In college, he further developed his athletic career, playing collegiate basketball at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Outside of the courtroom, Kav maintains a variety of extracurricular activities as well as an array of fitness pursuits, including weightlifting and running. He equally enjoys attending live sporting events (the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators, in particular), live music, hunting, and spending time on his family farm.

Aurora Rosado

Chicago, IL

Aurora Rosado is an Associate Attorney in the Chicago office of Sinars Slowikowski. She concentrates her practice in asbestos litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Aurora has worked in the areas of personal injury and immigration. Aurora earned her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2023.

Jackie Reidelberger

Salt Lake City, UT

Jackie Reidelberger is a skilled trial attorney and negotiator specializing in criminal defense. She has a reputation for outworking and out-preparing opposing attorneys and focuses on her clients' specific needs. She previously worked as a trial attorney at the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association and as an Attorney Advisor to the Salt Lake Immigration Court. She is fluent in Spanish and graduated Magna Cum Laude from DePaul University College of Law.

Juan Cervantes

Hoover, AL

Juan Cervantes is a bilingual legal assistant at Abogados Centro Legal, responsible for onboarding new personal injury clients, drafting legal documents, organizing court filings, and keeping clients informed. He has a background in customer service and retail, which has honed his ability to maintain firm policies and provide appropriate client responses. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and Political Science, and recently earned an Associate's degree in paralegal studies from Liberty University in March 2024.

Gary F. Maresca

Yonkers, NY

Mr. Maresca is knowledgeable in a number of areas of the law, with a primary concentration in real estate transactions. He has extensive experience in both conventional and complex residential and commercial real estate transactions and represents a number of institutional lenders as well as individuals and businesses in the purchase and sale of real estate and cooperative apartments. Mr. Maresca is also experienced in the practice of criminal defense law, landlord-tenant law, business law, estate planning, and the probate and administration of estates. Regardless of the type of case, Mr. Maresca is a zealous advocate for every one of his clients and is committed to giving prompt and personal attention to each and every matter.

Mercedes grew up in Salem, Oregon. She attended Willamette University for her bachelor’s degree in politics, policy, law, and ethics with a minor in Spanish. While in college, Mercedes was active in her sorority and dedicated much of her free time to volunteering for the hotline of a local domestic violence shelter in Salem. Mercedes continued her education at Willamette University School of Law. She graduated cum laude. While in law school, Mercedes participated in numerous organizations, including the Immigration Clinic. She served as class president of the Student Bar Association and president of the Women’s Law Caucus. She also served as the law school liaison for the Mary Leonard Chapter of Oregon Women Lawyers. Additionally, Mercedes worked as a part-time law clerk for Johnson and Taylor, gaining exposure in various areas of the law. Mercedes is passionate about helping families and individuals prepare for the future to the best of their ability and navigate through difficult times. She eagerly supports community members through family law, estate planning, and probate matters, all with an individualized approach. In her limited free time, Mercedes enjoys reading, walking her dog, and taking little adventures.

Sidney Sadeghi

Newport Beach, CA

Sidney M. Sadeghi. Ms. Sadeghi has been an attorney for over 14 years. She has managed a diverse caseload involving civil trial litigation for the majority of her legal career. Ms. Sadeghi earned her education at the University of California at Irvine, Cambridge University in England, and Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. Over her career, Ms. Sadeghi has obtained a multitude of trial victories for a variety of types of cases spanning from business litigation, general civil litigation, criminal law, probate litigation, and worker’s compensation. Ms. Sadeghi is a zealous advocate for her clients. Ms. Sadeghi is a frequent public speaker and lead trainer at events and seminars to raise awareness in various areas. Ms. Sadeghi’s book she authored entitled “Law in a Nutshell for the CEO,” will be published and available in 2020. Ms. Sadeghi speaks conversational French, Farsi, and limited Spanish. In her spare time, she is an avid snowboarder, scuba diver, fitness enthusiast, and Lakers Fan. She resides in Orange County, California, with her husband and two daughters. Ms. Sadeghi came to our firm seeking a new way to make a difference in people’s lives in 2019, and her zeal for the injured workers we represent has proven to be an excellent addition to our team.

Heighley Hernandez

Fairfield, CA

Heighley Hernandez is a bilingual paralegal and legal assistant in the personal injury department since 2019. She is dedicated to helping clients and ensuring Dionne E. Choyce has everything needed for exceptional legal services.

Julia D. Catron

Santa Fe, NM

Julia was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She graduated cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law and was sworn into the New Mexico state bar in September of 2010, becoming a fifth generation New Mexico attorney. Julia received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University where she graduated magna cum laude with a major in International Relations, and a focus on cultural anthropology and regional politics in Latin America. She also received a minor in Spanish. Julia returned to the Catron Law Firm in 2019 after three years of serving as a trust officer and the Santa Fe branch manager for a New Mexico trust company. In her return to practice, Julia focuses on estate planning, trust and estate administration, and fiduciary work. Julia loves to travel, and has lived in Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Spain. She currently serves on the boards of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation and the International Folk Art Foundation.